Campus of Virginia Tech


The main part of the campus of Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia; the central campus is roughly bordered by Prices Fork Road to the northwest, Plantation Road to the west, Main Street to the east, and U.S. Route 460 bypass to the south, although it also has several thousand acres beyond the central campus. The Virginia Tech campus consists of 130 buildings on approximately. It was the site of the Draper's Meadow massacre in 1755 during the French and Indian War.

Main Campus academic buildings

Agnew Hall

Originally known as the Home Economics Building, Agnew Hall was constructed in 1940 at a cost of $42,525. In 1949 it was named in honor of Ella Graham Agnew, the first woman to receive a field appointment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The building is used primarily by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. In 2009, a $1.6 million renovation took place which added lab space to the first floor for the Department of Biological Systems Engineering.

Bishop-Favrao Hall

Bishop-Favrao Hall is home to the Department of Building Construction, which is under the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, and the Myers-Lawson School of Construction. Much of the building has its systems exposed so that students can see them and learn about the systems. Bishop-Favrao was completed in December 2007 and is named after Richard Bishop and William Favrao, the Department of Building Construction's founder and department head until 1977.

Burchard Hall

Constructed in 1998 and named after Charles Burchard, the founding dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies between 1964 and 1979, Burchard Hall provides studio space for students in the architecture and industrial design programs. The building also provides office and classroom spaces as well as specialized studio space. Burchard Hall is actually constructed underground and has four pyramidal skylights that illuminate the studio spaces below. One can access Burchard Hall via either of the three access portals on the "roof", or through the ground-floor entrances. Burchard Hall also has a walkway connecting it to the nearby Cowgill Hall.

Burruss Hall

Constructed in 1936 facing the center of the drill field and originally known as the Teaching and Administration Building, Burruss Hall is the main administration building on campus and the iconic symbol of Virginia Tech. A west wing and rear addition were built in 1968, and an east wing was added in 1970. It contains a 3,003-seat auditorium, a venue where major events such as commencement, presidential speeches, concerts, and performing arts shows are held. Additionally, the first floor of the building houses faculty offices, studios and classrooms for the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. The building is named for the eighth president of Virginia Tech, Julian Ashby Burruss.

Cowgill Hall

Cowgill Hall, located on Perry Street, is the home of Virginia Tech's College of Architecture and Urban Studies. It was completed in 1969 and is named for Clinton Harriman Cowgill, who retired in 1956 after 28 years as the architecture department head.
In 2006 Cowgill Hall was named the winner of the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects Test of Time Award. This award is presented annually to a building that has served the same function for at least 25 years.

Davidson Hall

Davidson Hall contains office space, teaching labs, and classrooms. Originally constructed in 1928, additions to the structure were completed in 1933 and 1938; the structure was also renovated between 1964 and 1965. Named in honor of Robert James Davidson, the Dean of the Department of Applied Sciences, it was the department home for the Department of Chemistry. Davidson was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of the Washington Academy of Science, a member of the American Chemical Society, and served as the President of the National Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, in 1903. Davidson was also a delegate to the International Congress of Applied Chemistry at London, in 1909.
In 2012 a $31 million renovation of Davidson Hall broke ground. When completed, Davidson Hall will have modern research laboratories, office space, new classrooms, and a 300-person auditorium., substantial completion was expected in May 2014.

Derring Hall

Derring Hall, a five-story building, was constructed in 1969 and contains offices, classroom space, and laboratories for primarily the biological sciences and geosciences programs at Virginia Tech. The building was named after Paul Neyron Derring, a popular administrator with the students, who was stricken blind at the age of thirteen. Derring served on the State Commission for the Visually Handicapped and served on the Blacksburg Town Council.

Durham Hall

Durham Hall, a $16 million project, opened in 1998 and was called "New Engineering Building", or "The NEB", until 2001. It was named in honor of Fred D. Durham, co-founder of the Dover Corporation, a Fortune 500 manufacturing company located in New York City.

Norris Hall

Norris Hall is a four-story Hokie Stone academic building located between Burruss and Holden Halls. The two wings of the building, built in 1960 and 1962, encompass approximately and house the main office for the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, room 219, and used to house the Dean's Office for the College of Engineering, room 333, The building has been home to the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, room 223, for almost fifty years, and is named for Earl Bertram Norris, who served as dean of engineering for twenty-four years between 1928 and 1952.
Norris Hall was also the location of the second shooting attack during the Virginia Tech shootings on April 16, 2007. The building was the site of 31 of the 33 fatalities, and all 17 wounded faculty and students. The building was closed for the rest of the 2007 spring semester, and reopened with access limited to faculty and students with legitimate business inside at remaining offices and laboratories on June 18, 2007. On December 20, 2007, it was announced that the second floor of Norris would be renovated and become home to the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention.
On April 10, 2009, a ceremony was held to commemorate the reopening of the west wing of Norris Hall. The area consists of six reconfigured rooms and laboratories and is home to the new Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention as well as the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics. The renovation project was completed in March 2009 at a cost of approximately one million dollars; many goods and services were donated by individuals and contractors in support of the project. As department head of Engineering Science and Mechanics, Dr. Ishwar Puri played a leading role in the reoccupation of Norris Hall where his department is housed. Among other roles, he spoke at the April 10 ceremony.

Military Building

Originally constructed in 1936 and renovated in 1998, the Military Building is located on the Upper Quad. It is the base of operations for the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad and home to the Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC programs. It also houses the College of Engineering's Joseph F. Ware, Jr. Advanced Engineering Lab.

Joseph F. Ware, Jr. Advanced Engineering Lab

Work began on the Joseph F. Ware, Jr. Advanced Engineering Lab in 1997, in a collaboration of Joseph F. Ware, Jr., his wife Jennifer "Jenna" Ware, MSW, LCSW, ATP/CFI, and Hayden Griffin, Ph.D. of Virginia Tech., and the Ware Lab was opened September 4, 1998. The Lab is named after its founder and 1937 Mechanical Engineering Alumnus Joseph F. Ware, Jr. As a part of the College of Engineering, the Ware Lab is home to many student-based research and design projects. Focused on a hands-on-learning environment, students are encouraged to participate in these projects as early as their freshman year. The Klages Machine Shop is also located within the Ware Lab and is equipped with various machine tools used for project manufacturing, including two Numerical Control Machines. The lab is home to such notable teams as the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team, Formula SAE, BOLT all electric motorcycle team and the Baja SAE team. Other teams in the lab include AISC Steel Bridge, Design Build Fly, and the Autonomous Aerial Vehicle Team.

Other academic buildings

Other academic buildings on the Blacksburg campus:
  • Art and Design Learning Center
  • Cheatham Hall
  • Dairy Science Complex
  • Engel Hall
  • Femoyer Hall
  • Food Science and Technology
  • Fralin Biotechnology Center
  • Goodwin Hall
  • Hahn Hall
  • Hancock Hall
  • Holden Hall
  • Hutcheson Hall
  • Lane Hall
  • Liberal Arts Building
  • Litton Reaves Hall
  • Major Williams Hall
  • McBryde Hall
  • Newman Library
  • Pamplin Hall
  • Patton Hall
  • Price Hall
  • Randolph Hall
  • Robeson Hall
  • Sandy Hall
  • Saunders Hall
  • Seitz Hall
  • Shanks Hall
  • Smyth Hall
  • Theatre 101
  • Torgersen Hall
  • Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Wallace Hall
  • Whittemore Hall
  • Williams Hall

    Blacksburg academic facilities

Athletics buildings

Lane Stadium

Lane Stadium is the stadium for Virginia Tech's football team. It opened in 1965 has been rated as having the "number one home field advantage" in all of college football. It replaced Miles Stadium, a smaller facility that once stood directly behind the War Memorial Gym.

Cassell Coliseum

Cassell Coliseum is a 10,052-seat multi-purpose arena in Blacksburg, Virginia. The arena opened in 1961. It is home to the Virginia Tech Hokies men's and women's basketball teams.

Other athletics facilities

Additional athletic facilities:
  • Buford Meredith Cross Country Course
  • Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center
  • Christiansburg Aquatic Center
  • English Field
  • Football Locker Room Facility
  • Hahn Hurst Basketball Practice Center
  • Indoor Practice Facility
  • James C. Weaver Baseball Center
  • Johnson / Miller Track Complex
  • Merryman Athletic Facility
  • Olympic Sports Weight Room
  • Pete Dye River Course
  • Rector Field House
  • Tech Softball Park
  • Sandra D. Thompson Field
  • War Memorial Pool
  • Wrestling Locker Room / Practice Facility